News

Metropolitan Hilarion foresees schism in Orthodoxy compared to the Great Schism if Ukrainian schismatics obtain autocephaly

Moscow, May 4, Interfax - Head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion believes that if Ukrainian schismatics obtain desired autocephaly schism in global Orthodoxy will be compared to the Great Schism of 1054.

"It is terrific even to imagine what can happen if scenario of granting autocephaly to Ukrainian schismatics will be realized in practice. (...) Schism in global Orthodoxy that will be inevitable consequence of this wrong step, can be compared only to the split between East and West in 1054. If it happens, Orthodox unity will be buried," the metropolitan said answering the questions of Greek Romfea church news agency.

The hierarch prays and hopes that "unilateral position of Local Orthodox Churches that was more than once expressed in the past will save Ecumenical Orthodoxy from the schism", and "this unilateral position will sooner or later bring schismatics back to the Church."

The metropolitan noted that the project of the so-called one local church in Ukraine is initiated by acting authorities, schismatic groups and Greek Catholics.

"Politicians see in it a happy opportunity to start electoral campaign at the backstage of deteriorating economic situation in the country. Schismatics supported by authorities continue seizing churches of canonical Church in Ukraine, they need legalization and support of any canonical Church of the Orthodox world," he said.

According to Metropolitan Hilarion, uniates consider union of schism and obtaining an official status for it in Orthodox world as a project aimed at subordinating Orthodoxy to Rome.

The metropolitan believes that true state of spiritual life in the canonical Ukrainian Church and in Ukrainian schism can be seen if we compare the number of monks.

"Today there are about 5000 monks in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The so-called Kiev Patriarchate has 200 people residing in monasteries, while the so-called Autocephalous Church has 15 people for 12 monasteries. The mass media often refer to the data, for which certain sponsors of sociological polls have paid. However, the data they cite cannot be compared to the things we see with our own eyes that can be easily checked," he said.

According to him, millions of Orthodox believers stand behind the canonical Church in Ukraine and "it is proved by large-scaled processions with cross organized by canonical Church in Ukraine which attract hundreds of thousands believers."

"Why our brothers in Constantinople are not interested in the opinion of these millions of believers? Granting authocephaly to schism despite the will of the canonical Church from which it has split does not have any future. It will not lead to the Orthodox unity, but to deepening of existing divisions and further destabilization of Ukrainian society," the hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church believes.

Print this page

Home

News

.	Customize latest news

• Extremism case opened against 5 members of Jehovah's Witnesses in Syktyvkar 04 March 2021, 13:15
• Putin orders Interior Ministry to prosecute provocateurs, suppress all manifestations of extremism 03 March 2021, 16:25
• Kremlin not commenting on end of discussion about monument on Lubyanskaya Square - Peskov 01 March 2021, 14:19
• Moscow Mayor Sobyanin proposes to leave Lubyanskaya Square as it is for now 26 February 2021, 22:42
• Acting leader of Abkhazian Diocese is member of Georgian Church - Georgian Patriarchate 26 February 2021, 17:44
• Search underway on premises of Sredneuralsky Convent 26 February 2021, 17:41
• Defrocked priest Sergy's pretrial detention extended until end of spring 26 February 2021, 10:00
• Armenian Apostolic Church urges politicians to start talks 25 February 2021, 15:04
• Omsk resident fined 375,000 rubles for excusing terror attack in New Zealand 25 February 2021, 11:48
• Yakutian shaman Gabyshev charged with violence against police officer 25 February 2021, 10:45
• Meeting between Russian patriarch, Pope doesn't improve Christians' position in Middle East contrary to expectations - Metropolitan Hilarion 24 February 2021, 10:00
• Muscovites will choose between monuments to Dzerzhinsky, Alexander Nevsky on Lubyanka Square 20 February 2021, 10:03
• Former schema-monk Sergy admits giving bribe amounting to 'millions of dollars' 18 February 2021, 16:30
• World Russian People's Council backs idea of Ivan III monument on Lubyanka Square in Moscow 18 February 2021, 16:11
• FJCR suggests reinstalling fountain at Lubyanka 18 February 2021, 15:30
• Suspected organizer of Jehovah's Witnesses cell in Russia's Kemerovo region placed under house arrest 17 February 2021, 14:11
• Police detain man who splashed Holocaust monument in Yerevan with paint 17 February 2021, 13:44
• The giant castle of corona cannibal to be burned in Russia on Maslenitsa 17 February 2021, 12:08
• Lawyers' association supports bill limiting surrogate motherhood in Russia 17 February 2021, 10:00
• FSB detain people suspected of financing ISIL under guise of donations to mosques in Crimea, Tatarstan 16 February 2021, 15:19
• World Union of Old Believers backs idea to place Ivan III monument on Moscow's Lubyanka Square 16 February 2021, 09:44
• Metropolitan Hilarion concerned by detention on non-participants in unsanctioned rallies 15 February 2021, 09:17
• Moscow court arrests 2 Jehovah's Witnesses 15 February 2021, 09:15
• Foreign Intelligence Service head compares those who insult WWII veterans to Nazi collaborators 12 February 2021, 11:53
• Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Kazakhstan postponed to next year 12 February 2021, 11:07
• Sputnik V vaccine halal - Gamaleya Center expert 12 February 2021, 10:03
• Court denies former schema hegumen Sergy right to participate in dispute over church on territory of Sredneuralsky Convent 10 February 2021, 20:39
• Several organizers of Jehovah's Witnesses cell detained in Moscow 10 February 2021, 11:43
• Resident of Russia's Dagestan jailed for 10 years for killing local rabbi 10 February 2021, 11:14
• Tajik authorities classify sentence of opposition Islamic party leader 09 February 2021, 17:35

Other news